


Her Own Ability

by Florentine



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23163817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Florentine/pseuds/Florentine
Summary: A Pearl who knows her own ability is the most dangerous of them all.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	Her Own Ability

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a little drabble back in 2018. Don't know how well it holds up, but I still like it!

It couldn’t be called a rebellion anymore, but they were all hesitant to call it a war. To call it a war would be to give it legitimacy. They couldn’t afford to let those rebels know they’d shaken Homeworld up.

But they had. Governance had rested so tenuously on four pillars, and with one gone at the hands of her own soldier... Who was there left to trust?

Earth was a mess, Blue Diamond was a mess, and nobody but Pearl knew either of those things. She was privy to sensitive information beyond what anyone else was, and she prided herself on her ability to keep everything quiet. She wouldn’t be the one to disparage Her Diamond’s reputation, not a chance!

(She was also privy to bursts of emotion that filled her form and made her want to scream and sob and had almost poofed her once or twice, but that was just a part of her position.)

If nobody else could be trusted, Pearl could. Always, always.

...The Amethyst guards seemed restless. Half of them had never known the Diamond they were made for, the other half were grieving, and not a single one seemed fully trustworthy. Who else did they have, though? They needed the extra protection after Rose Quartz’s little stunt. Guards who weren’t entirely trustworthy were better than no guards at all.

And they had been quiet, and they kept focused in their duties, and that was all they truly needed.

Pearl had noticed, though, one eyeing Her Diamond throughout the day. It made sense; who wouldn’t want to look at her as much as possible? (It hadn’t seemed trustworthy for a moment, but who was she to say so?)

There was a flash, barely noticeable, as the Amethyst reached to the gem on her left hip. Out came a mallet. Unprofessional, certainly, but perhaps a nervous habit? A sign of protection and dedication? Oh, she so desperately wanted to trust the Amethyst.

She couldn’t.

Before she could think, the Amethyst had broken from the line, mallet raised, mouth open in a shriek, and – and – and she was going right for the pristine gem that she had come to know so well, and – !!!

There was another flash of light before she could blink, this one closer. Something strange in her hand. A movement, clumsy and inelegant, so unlike her. It would have been easy to avoid if one had been expecting it, but who would expect much besides quiet inactivity and perhaps emotionality from a Pearl?

A round purple gem on the ground. A puff of smoke.

There was a resounding gasp, whispers between the guards – deafening silence from Her Diamond. Stars, what had happened? What –

The odd thing was still in her hand. She glanced downwards towards it.

Oh.

Oh. 

A sword she had never seen before, needle-sharp and as delicate as its wielder. Its blade twisted near the base, flaring out into a beautifully intricate hilt that wrapped around her hand. It shone in the light, the same colour as her gem.

...As her _gem_ -!!!

With a quiet yelp, Pearl dropped the thing and flinched back as though burned. It clattered once beside the gem before fizzling out into a flurry of sparks. Then, silence. Silence from the one Gem she didn’t want to be silent when she did something wrong because she lived for approval and silence meant she didn’t have it and she might be _shattered_ for this she might be _replaced_ -! 

Stars, she knew how this must have looked. A Diamond’s Pearl wielding a sword against a Quartz guard – this wasn’t the first time. The first time was still too fresh in everybody’s minds.

Silence. Silence. She stood perfectly still, save for her shaking shoulders, waiting for something to happen.

“Pearl.”

Finally. She whirled fast enough to nearly trip over her feet, tried to combine a salute and a curtsy in a movement that was certainly respectful but not nearly as graceful as it should have been.

_(She was going to be shattered she had destroyed every bit of trust Her Diamond may have had she would be replaced with a Pearl who could be trusted she was going to be shattered and she would never have a chance to apologise properly!!)_

“My Diamond?” Had her voice ever sounded so quietly panicked?

A beckoning finger was the only response. Come here. 

And, shakily, she did.


End file.
